Echoes of the Past
by Counterfeiting Shakespeare
Summary: He loved her with all his heart. Eriol knew in his heart his love was true. But did Clow Reed, his past self, passed this love to him? Was his greatest love, nothing more than echoes of the past? Was love even capable of being so tainted by history?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** I am dedicating this to **sakurawolfblossoms** who is betaing for my first CCS story. You want an **Eriol/Tomoyoi fic**, and I obstinately want a **Clow/Tomoyo fic**. So here is what I came up with. Hope you like it._

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**Echoes of the Past**

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Prologue:

The wind rushed past, touching the strands of ebony and soothing the fevered skin of alabaster. She smiled in greeting, the corners turning up just the slightest bit.

But the eyes, those beautiful orbs of amethyst, were alive with gentle fire.

Burned by the violet flame, he came nearer.

And the smile turned into a charming grin.

'_So brave you are,_' his heart whispered. '_You think you can escape the echoes of the past, but you cannot. Your soul is yours, but you share his dreams and his desires._'

He stopped mid-stride, eyes shuttered and unreadable, so that once again his handsome face was cold and devoid of true emotion.

The whispers weren't finished.

'_His dreams and desires are she,_' whispered they who accompanied his thoughts. _'But is she yours?'_

Taunting. Those whispers were always taunting.

'_Tainted love,_' the voices screamed now. '_Not true, at all. 'Tis tainted, filthy with the memories of the Master. You deserve better, new Master. Someone who is yours and yours alone.'_

Her grin was gone and she was looking at him in confusion. A delicately winged brow arced itself and she tilted her head to the side, as if the gesture would be enough to ask him why he was not advancing.

For does he not always advanced, taking two steps forward when he should be taking the steps backward?

How brave was he?

If he ran, would that be a coward's action?

Or would the deed be courage masked in the cloak of defeat?

Defeat.

Defeated.

Dead.

His eyes narrowed and she stood on alert, eyes widening at the sight of his anger. She opened her lips to ask what was wrong, but in a blink of an eye he was before her and the words never left her lips as he silenced her asking by kissing her.

'_So brave, so brave our new Master_,' said the whispers, as they spun around the striking couple. The whispers sounded broken, devoid of life. They still remembered the past, and mourned it still. But they were mere echoes and could not tell the whole tale.

He dismissed them in irritation and she saw that he was frowning. With gentle hands she smoothed his brow and gave him a playful pinch on the cheeks.

"_What is wrong, Eriol?"_ she asked him, her voice even in speaking, was cadenced in melody.

He held her close to him, his arms locking her in a protective embrace. "You are mine," he said, his voiced deepened by love and fear. "This truth I know. Echoes will not deter me and push me to untruths."

He felt her move, but he did not loosen his hold. She sighed and placed her head to his chest, where she heard the beating of his heart. "Those are cryptic words, Eriol."

A moment, a heartbeat later, she spoke again.

"But yes, I am yours. I, too, know this truth."

Round them, the whispers returned, disdaining her words. _'Liar,_' they said, _'you belonged to him, not to the new Master.' _

But only Eriol Hiragizawa heard.

He heard the whispers clearly.

For after all, was he not, despite his reluctance, a mage of the past, in another form?

He closed his eyes, and held the woman he loved closer to him. '_Mine,_' he said to himself. '_She is mine, Clow. She was never yours._'

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_**A/N**: Okie-dokie, have to end it here folks. You know the drill. I'll update if I get encouraging words from you guys. Please and Thank you. Muahhh!_

_First reviewer gets to have a request granted. That's my promise and I'll stick to it._


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N**: To those three that reviewed, many thanks! You all did it anonymously, so replying back was impossible __ Still, many thanks, especially to the last one (Very encouraging)! Hugs! _

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**Echoes of the Past **

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He came back to them when everyone he knew in that quiet town had turned sixteen and seventeen. They met him in the airport, bright smiles and expectant faces all.

Sakura, of course, was there since it was to her that the message was relayed about him coming back. His descendant was present, too, along with Yukito and Kero, and lastly, there was her.

Daidouji Tomoyo of the violet eyes.

Each one was excited at the prospect of seeing him again, and his two guardians.

It turned to surprise when he showed himself at last.

T'was Sakura who found her voice first. "Eriol-kun…you- you look old." Wonder was in her voice and her eyes held a hint of disbelief. He knew what she was seeing. Everyday, when he looked at his reflection, he marvelled at the image himself.

"You look," she whispered, still awed, "Like my dad."

The laughter came, welcomed and unexpected. Had she forgotten that he was but half of the reincarnation? Or that her father was the other half? He looked at the chestnut haired girl and grinned, loving her the way a father loved his daughter.

It could not be helped.

Chosen she was from the very start, so that he loved her from the moment he realized what she meant to him. A father to a daughter.

The irony did not escape him.

And then, _she _spoke from behind the others.

The world, time itself, stopped moving.

"Welcome back, Hiiragizawa-kun," she whispered softly.

It felt like a dream when he turned to acknowledge the speaker.

It always felt that way.

Dreams of the past.

Echoes of the past.

The first he noticed was that her hair, whipped by the wind, was dancing in the breeze, the dark strands creating sigils in air, their own special brand of magick. He allowed himself to take notice of the pale skin, alabaster, smooth like silk, and baby soft to the touch, when everyone else where tanned and golden.

And her eyes, with their violet gaze, searing into his soul.

Sakura interrupted with her normal exuberance. "Tomo-chan," she said with laughter in her voice. "Doesn't he look like dad? Except…well, you know, just a little bit younger? Ne, why aren't you seventeen looking, Eriol?"

He smiled at the young girl, shaking his head. "It's a bit complicated, Sakura. You see, I was never the same age as the rest of you, way back then."

He said the words, directing them to the bubbly girl, but his eyes never strayed from that violet gaze.

From that violet flame.

Like a moth he felt himself drawn to it, so that it took a while for him to realize everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to continue.

He looked up, sheepishly, a blush almost staining his cheeks, and caught the speculative look in Yukito – nay…Yue's eyes.

It threw him off, caught him completely off guard.

What made Yue appear?

What did he see to cause such a speculative gleam in those icy blue eyes?

The answers came with Sakura's next words.

"Kawaii!" the young woman took hold of her best friend's hand and shoved her to Eriol's side. "You look like mom and dad now, in that picture of them, when they just started dating!"

Her dad, Clow Reed's other half. The man who looked disturbingly like him so that he was forced to don the body of a child the first time he came to Japan.

Her mom, Nadeshiko. Tomoyo's aunt whom every one claimed was her exact facsimile. They looked so much alike that even Tomoyo's mother was lulled to turning the lovely girl into the living doll that used to be Nadeshiko.

Except for the eyes.

Except for that violet gaze.

That was when the voices came and began their incessant whispers. _'Do not new master. We care too much for you to fall to an illusion of love. T'was the old master that loved her true…Not you…not you…' _

On cue the wheels of fate moved and time was stirred back to its steady pace.

And he knew, Hiiragizawa Eriol knew, that something important took place that day; something he should have recognized way back when he first found himself gazing into those amethyst orbs.

He was not born into the world to test Sakura's strength to become the new mistress for the Clow cards. All that happened so long ago was an elaborate hoax.

He closed his eyes, hating fate, not liking the fact that he had no control with his life.

Did Kinomoto felt this when he saw Nadeshiko for the first time? Or did he truly love the woman as she was not the one the great mage was waiting for?

How kind of Clow Reed to provide his lesser reincarnation with the lesser woman. How considerate of him to grant his more powerful half of the real thing.

It was the eyes that clued him in.

It was Tomoyo that Reed wanted.

And because he was the stronger, more powerful reflection of the departed mage, it was to him that Tomoyo was directed.

Bitter thoughts swirled in his consciousness.

No, he did not get 'reborn' for something as absurd as testing Kinomoto Sakura's magical capability.

Eriol opened his eyes and stared eye to eye at the goddess before him. He was reborn in this body, in this time…to fall in love.

_**A/N**: Clow Reed will appear soon, as he is the character I ship for Tomoyo _ _ but don't worry, I like Eriol, too, so Eriol fans need not worry of him being left in the dust, so to speak. _

_ Will do my best to update faster. Thank you for reading! _

_Also, please wait for my Syaoran/Tomoyo one shot I will be posting soon_ **;0) **


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